


Day Three Hundred Twenty-Six || Moody Person

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [326]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Death, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21603898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: 'Moody' is a bit of an understatement. Try 'exceedingly traumatized'.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [326]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1235528
Kudos: 24





	Day Three Hundred Twenty-Six || Moody Person

To call Uchiha Sasuke a moody person is both a massive understatement...and a huge misstatement.

Because yes, ‘moody’ is a word that does, indeed, fit him from a distance. Short-tempered, impatient, depressed and antisocial more often than not.

But to write him off as simply ‘moody’ is a gross lack of depth. After all, one can hardly go through what Uchiha Sasuke has gone through and not come out worse for wear. ‘Moody’, therefore, seems far too light a word for what he feels. To lose not only your family, but your entire extended bloodline in a single night - being exposed to the brutal murder of your parents via genjutsu - watching your brother, the culprit, escape almost unfettered save for your own trembling, desperate attempts to stop him?

Why yes, one would become quite ‘moody’ after experiencing so much at the tender age of seven.

And yet, many people wrote him off as much. Including, but not limited to, those who would later become his teammates. Naruto, another sufferer of great loss, thought it best to approach Sasuke through antagonizing him. Sakura, one with no understanding of loss, though it wise to pursue him with shallow inclinations of romance.

Neither of which, of course, was anywhere near a proper approach.

Even his sensei went about it in rather...questionable ways. But Kakashi, like Sasuke, had suffered much...and was given the typical Konoha treatment.

In other words...none. Sympathy does not a proper shinobi make, in the eyes of the village. Everyone loses something in a world of war and subterfuge. Why make any attempts to console those who suffer loss when there’s hardly anyone who _hasn’t_?

But it was the mishandling of him that made such a pointed difference. Sasuke had one goal. To kill his brother, the murderer of their clan, and avenge the deaths of those he’d cared about. Simple enough, and yet...glaringly looked over. Never was there talk of helping him. Of agreement: that the Uchiha deserved justice. No...the only time anyone seemed to give a second thought to Sasuke’s goal was when it interfered - however indirectly - with their own.

Sasuke’s decision to abandon Konoha - a village that had offered him no comfort, no help - was met with cries of betrayal. How _dare_ he leave a place where his wants and needs were ignored? Naruto wouldn’t stand for it - his friend was allowed no independent thought…! He had to do what _Naruto_ wanted. Sakura, too, couldn’t stand the thought of him leaving. He was their _friend_. And while it could be argued the roots of friendship were there - Sasuke saved Naruto on their mission to Nami, and defended Sakura against Gaara - he had larger goals. To be tied to others was to risk losing them, and risk losing sight of his singular purpose. _Nothing_ could stop his need to bring peace to the restless, murdered spirits of his clan. Not friendship, not village loyalty...nothing.

But his leaving wasn’t seen that way. It wasn’t seen as an act of necessity, but rather of selfishness.

And yet he was far from the one being selfish.

If his team - his village - wouldn’t offer him the help he needed...he’d find it elsewhere. The risks didn’t matter...only the end result. Orochimaru had power: that much was obvious. He didn’t care if it marked him a traitor to Konoha. His utmost loyalty wasn’t to a village, but to a clan.

A clan then dead.

Of course...there was much Sasuke didn’t know. Was never _intended_ to know. But when he did...he simply changed course. Itachi wasn’t guilty - not truly. One doesn’t blame the knife for digging into your back, but the hand behind it.

Konoha had sanctioned the clan’s demise...so it was Konoha that would repay him that blood debt. Generations of abuse and neglect - met rightfully with disdain and a want for freedom - had been met with thrown-away negotiations and a death warrant. And not just for those who planned the coup, oh no...the entire bloodline - down to the penultimate child - would be the price for the Uchiha daring to rise against a village that had treated them as second class since the village’s founding, all thanks to one man. A man that had, yes, led them...and that they had turned their backs on in favor of a village that would never trust them again.

Obito’s telling of the truth; the prior Hokage’s stories; the war; his brother’s own words...it all served to both settle him, and yet confuse him. Enough so that he fought his best friend nearly to their deaths...and then just...gave up.

...at least, in part.

Uchiha Sasuke may have let up his desire to clear the Kage, and to contain the bijū. But there was one thing he refused to let die: the village-sanctioned murder of his bloodline.

Some thought him too forward, too angry, too bent on revenge. One might dare to call him ‘moody’. But to Sasuke, there was no taking that truth lying down. He’d either tear the truth from Konoha’s chest and hold it aloft in the sun from its birth in the shadows...or he’d die trying.

Thankfully, it didn’t come to death. It came to an arrangement. The clans’ heirs and children in his class - made aware of the truth - banded their lines together to face the council. Expose the truth. Make sure their clans would never be next...and that Sasuke’s successors - should he ever have any - be free of the hidden shadows of their pasts.

But even upon returning to Konoha like _so many people wanted_...he couldn’t get any peace. The walking on eggshells. The panicked looks when he’d walk up. The clear nervousness his classmates felt in his presence despite making feeble attempts to act like they didn’t think he was one wrong word away from exploding.

It was...exhausting. And only made him all the less inclined to socialize.

But there was one person from the eleven that not only failed to patronize him...but genuinely made efforts to connect.

And that was Hyūga Hinata.

At first he was at a bit of a loss as to why. He’d never spoken to her, or...if he had, it was brief enough he had no memory of it. The only real connection they had was, to his knowledge, his (rather tattered) friendship with Naruto, and her infatuation with the blond.

But, slowly...he learned more.

She was no longer hung up on his teammate. Or, rather...she was doing her best to move on. And their clean slate meant that, compared to many others their age, he had no reason to resent her...and vice versa. Add in a mutual friend, their odd third-and-fourth wheel roles to the rest of team seven, and the startling parallels in their pasts...and Sasuke found himself...intrigued.

...it had been some time since someone genuinely caught his interest. Let alone it being someone who seemed, in turn, curious about him...and not in any way that _wanted_ something from him. To Hinata, he was a friend of friends. A fellow classmate. A comrade. And his actions, though often dire, were done in the name of justice...mostly. To her...he wasn’t beyond redemption, but rather worthy of it. And she’d taken it upon herself to help him start.

...it was odd. But no less appreciated, even if he was...confused by it at first.

And slowly - ever so slowly - he started to lose his edge. Though still short-tempered, it was cooled by her urgings to be patient. Though still blunt, he found ways to be so without being crass about it. His mood slowly began to lighten, though he could - and would - never completely shed his changes. The past that molded him could never be forgotten...but it could be tempered by a gentler future.

“...what’s gotten into him…?”

Blinking, Hinata turns to her companion. Sakura, standing beside her, is watching her two teammates interact several paces before them. Naruto, ever-pestering, is giving the Uchiha a hard time about...something. Hinata missed what, precisely. But rather than snap or skulk, Sasuke manages a hint of a smirk, hands in his pockets and air aloof rather than dark. He actually looks to be bantering with the blond.

“...what?”

“Sasuke-kun, he’s...he’s _smiling_ , and...joking. I haven’t seen him do that in…” Sakura fades to silence, slowly shaking her heard. “It’s just...odd.”

“...I think he’s been feeling b-better recently.”

That earns a glance. “...how would you know?”

“W-well, we’ve...we’ve been talking, that’s all.”

“...you talk to Sasuke-kun?”

“...is that weird?”

“I…” Sakura’s brow furrows. “...I guess not. But...he hardly speaks to us, and we’re his teammates…”

Hinata hesitates. This is something Sasuke confided in her, given her easy-listener attitude. “I...I think he just, um...he just felt...uncomfortable around you two for a-a while, right? I mean...a lot happened between you after he...he left. He was rather upset that you learned about the massacre, and just…” She gestures rather sheepishly. “...you just...ignored it…? You knew what the village had done, and yet...you wanted him to come back. You never said you’d address it, or...h-help him get justice. You just...kept trying to drag him back. Back to a place he’d learned his family was m-murdered, and...ordered so by those who led the village. If you were in his shoes, wouldn’t...wouldn’t that upset you…?”

A look of scandal overtakes the Haruno’s face. “How do you...know all that?”

Glancing aside, Hinata hesitates for a long moment. “...l-like I said, we’ve...been talking. Or rather...he talks, and I...I listen.”

For a moment, a look of hurt tinged with jealousy passes over Sakura’s face. “...I see. It’s true, we...we’ve got a lot to address, but…” She gestures after Sasuke. “...he wouldn’t talk to us.”

“...he needed time. To think, and...about a lot of things, Sakura-chan.”

“...guess you’re right.”

“Just...be patient with him. He’s been carrying a l-lot of pain for a long time. And…” Hinata shrinks a bit. “...it was a bit...c-compounded by...things that happened after he, um...left.”

Sakura glances aside, expression cool. “...yeah.”

“...a-anyway...maybe that’s a good sign…? Maybe he’ll, um...he’ll start opening up a bit more, now! If his mood is better, then…”

“Well, I don’t know what point there is now.”

Hinata stumbles. “I...w-what?”

The rosette avoid her eyes. “Seems he’s already doing that...and with someone who never even spoke to him before he left. What use is there in talking to us, if he’s got _you_?”

“S...Sakura-chan!”

Ignoring her, Sakura struts forward, pushing between her two teammates and disappearing.

“...Sakura-chan?” Naruto calls, hesitating a moment before going after her. “Hey, w-wait!”

Stepping up nervously beside Sasuke, Hinata curls a hand at her chest.

“...what did you do?”

“...I…” Her expression wilts. “...I was just telling her about...about talking to you, and she...I think she took it the wrong way. I wasn’t trying to…?”

Sasuke gives a small sigh. “...she’s still taking this all too personally. She knows she messed up, but she’s still clinging to what she wanted, even if she knows she won’t get it. She thinks she can both fear me and love me. Which, of course...is ridiculous.” He scoffs. “... _now_ who’s the moody one…?”

Hinata’s gaze falls. “...I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“You...you were doing well with Naruto-kun, and I...I ruined it.”

“You didn’t ruin anything. Sakura’s the one making a fuss out of something she doesn’t need to worry about. My being friends with you isn’t a bad thing. She’s just stuck between moving on and clinging to her jealousy over me. That’s not your fault. That’s her own issue to work out, Hyūga. Don’t mistake her blunders for yours.”

She considers that silently.

“...anyway...if you want to head home with them gone, I understand. I had a feeling this wouldn’t last long.”

“Oh, but…?”

“It’s fine.” He gives her a glance. “...a little progress is still progress.”

“...I guess you’re right. Um...I’ll s-see you later, Sasuke-kun. Have - have a good afternoon.”

“...you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> This...isn't exactly what I wanted this to be, buuut...I tried? I was majorly sick yesterday, and today was a long day, so I'm not at the top of my game, aha~ 
> 
> Basically just more Sasuke introspective because...I love to write it lol - and a bit of a scene at the end. I don't think I've really touched on Sakura's lingering jealousy in ALAS at all yet. I've done Hinata's with Naruto, but admittedly I just...don't like Sakura much, so I don't write her if I can help it. Not that I HATE her, but...her character is just SO mishandled in canon imo. Hence her needing (and getting) a lot of work in ALAS' third arc. She has a lot to learn, and it's not easy...but she gets there.
> 
> ...eventually xD
> 
> Anyway, I'm bushed, so I'll call it there. Thanks for reading!


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